Today as we continue to address Life Management – Part 3: Physical Care in One-to-One we turn to addictive behaviors. You may not have considered that a consideration of addictive behaviors would be part of our discussion of physical care, but in my experience over more than three decades as a pastor, addictive behaviors destroy many lives, or at least derail them from following Jesus, and many of the addictive behaviors have a root in the physical realm. My goal is not to provide an exhaustive list of addictive behaviors, but I do want to mention a handful, which have come up with the greatest frequency among folks with whom I have ministered over the years: alcohol and other drug addiction; pornography; anger addiction; workaholism; video game addiction (extended adolescence); and a variety of sexual addictions. Each of these addictions has at its core a rejection of the reality that God is sufficient to meet our needs in the physical and spiritual realms. While most of these addictions are now considered diseases rather than sins, the truth is an alcoholic may be diseased, but getting drunk is a sin. Being sexually addicted may be a disease, but committing acts of sexual immorality is a sin. As Paul reminded us our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit and when we use them in sinful ways we dishonor God. That being said, when any of us become addicted, the focus must be on healing rather than judgment.

For most of my life anger often consumed me, and many times no matter what I tried, including prayer, no change came. Then nearly a decade ago, I read a book titled, Change Your Heart, Change Your Life by Gary Smalley and I discovered that the reason I couldn’t overcome my anger addiction or anger sin was that it had become rooted in my heart, and only God could change my heart. The process outlined by Smalley seemed too simple to be effective, but it was: he challenged me to “overwrite” the anger with the truth of God’s word. I did that by repeating the “Golden Rule” over and over: “In all things do to others what you would have them do to you. This sums up all the Law and the Prophets.” As I did that particularly when I would enter into a situation that had provoked anger in the past, I started to notice the anger dissipating, and God’s peace replacing it. As I said, the process seemed too simple to be effective, but in a relatively short period of time the anger, which has been so rooted in my heart, started being replaced with God’s truth and love. I’m not suggesting that every addiction is amenable to such treatment. I am suggesting that God is at the root of the healing of every addiction. While, I invest significant time working with those seeking to recover from alcohol and other drug addiction, and have seen the benefit of AA and NA in that process, in my experience only when Jesus is given authority as the “higher power,” does the deep, heart-level healing occur. For any of you who are struggling with addiction, I would recommend that you seek help from trained professionals in your area of need, and that you turn the situation over to God in the name of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit. I have not known anyone personally who has healed himself or herself of addiction. Being part of a supportive, God-honoring, local church family is also a key to healing from addiction.

Here’s today’s application project. Take 5-10 minutes and assess your life in the area of addiction. Is there a substance, attitude, or behavior toward which your life has become out of control? If not, praise God and thank Him for giving you freedom in this area of your life. If the answer is, “Yes,” take some time to make a commitment to admit your problem and to seek help and support in overcoming it.

Heavenly Father, Thank You for the freedom I have in You to live my life in wholeness. Fill me with the Holy Spirit that I may live in that freedom in every area of my life. This I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.